


Definition of Fun

by low_battery_laptop



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Female My Unit | Byleth, Fictober 2019, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-10 15:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20853770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/low_battery_laptop/pseuds/low_battery_laptop
Summary: In the midst of an unusual summer heatwave, Byleth often disappears outside of Garreg Mach. Dimitri inquires as to where she goes, and she offers to show him.Day One of Fictober 2019 with the prompt 'It will be fun, trust me.'





	Definition of Fun

Summer was unbearable in Garreg Mach, even if the monastery was settled on a cool mountain. Or maybe there was just an unseasonal heatwave. The students that grew up in sunny parts of Fódlan paid the heat no mind, but the rest of them suffered. Dimitri was one of them. The black uniform of the academy made it all the more worse. 

Dimitri found himself amazed that the professor remained unphased by the heat. As far as he knew, she had grown up in the north as well, yet the massive overcoat stayed upon her shoulders, and she never once seemed to sweat, even when the sun threatened to burn him to a crisp. 

On the particularly hot days, however, she seemed to take notice of her student’s discomfort, and dismissed them from their weapons training early. There was always a collective sigh of relief, and each of the Blue Lions would quickly leave to cool off. The professor herself would disappear as well until late into the evening. No one seemed to know where she would go, though Sylvain said he once saw her ride out of Garreg Mach on her warhorse, with a bow on her back. It was another mystery to be added to the ever-growing list of mysteries that surrounded the professor. 

Towards the end of the week, on an early dismissal, Dimitri was the last to leave the training grounds. Though he originally planned to retire to his quarters until dinner, he found himself emboldened, and curious that day. 

“Professor!” he called, walking quickly to catch up to her. “A moment?”

She turned to him, wide-eyed. “Of course,” she said. 

“Forgive me if I am overstepping my boundaries, but I have noticed that you seem to vanish from the monastery quite often. I’m curious as to where you go.”

To his surprise, a hint of a smile formed on her face. “I go hunting,” she told him. “An old habit, from my old life.”

“I see,” he said, curiosity mostly sated. It made sense, when he thought about it. “And I suppose you won’t be a teacher here forever.” She shook her head. “Well, I wish you luck then, professor.”

Her expression returned to her netural stare and she turned to take her leave, but stopped. “Would you care to join me, Dimitri?” she asked. He was a bit surprised she had even asked. The time she spent alone outside of Garreg Mach seemed personal to her, and she was not one to share personal things. Dimitri’s heart beat just a bit faster. “It will be fun. Trust me.”

“It would be my honor!” he said, hiding his excitement rather poorly. He desired to spend more time with the professor, even if it meant spending a few more hours in the heat. 

The professor led him down to the stables, where a stablehand had her warhorse ready and waiting for her. Once settled in the saddle, she nodded her thanks to the stablehand, and held out a hand to Dimitri. He froze. It hadn’t crossed his mind that he would be riding with her. But he didn’t want to seem ungrateful, so he took her hand. The professor was small compared to him, but the strength in her arm as she helped him onto the horse spoke of her years spent swinging a sword, and shooting a bow. 

Dimitri did his best to get comfortable in front of the professor, but the feeling of her chest pressed to his back made it difficult. Comfortable or not, with a quick flick of the reigns, they began to ride. The professor stopped by the armory on her way out, picking out two wooden bows, and a large quiver of arrows. One bow she fixed to her back, and the other she strapped to the saddle of the horse along with the arrows. 

Being outside the monastery was a breath of fresh air. The shade of the trees along the road was nice, and when the professor cut off the road to follow a game trail, Dimitri found the forest air to be quite cool. The horse was spurred on to a trot for some time, then slowed with a  _ woah _ from the professor. The gentle sound of her voice behind him, right in his ear, sent a shiver down his spine. 

“We’ll walk from here,” she told him. 

The professor dismounted her horse first, then offered her hand to help him down. He watched her tie the reigns of her horse to a thick branch, and fetch the bow and arrows from the saddle. 

“I must admit, professor, it has been some time since I have used a bow,” Dimitri confessed as she handed the weapon to him. 

“Byleth,” she said, visibly confusing him. “Call me Byleth. I know I’m your professor, but here, I’d rather be myself.”

Dimitri felt warm again. “Oh, of course.” It took him a moment to work up the courage to use her name. “Byleth.”

“And if you aren’t good with a bow, then this will be good practice,” she continued. “Jeralt told me once you either learn, or you starve.”

The professor- Byleth- said no more, and turned to walk further into the woods. She easily avoided stepping on dry twigs and old leaves, but even though he tried to mimic her, Dimitri still made a few sounds as he walked. Yet she didn’t seem to mind. It amazed him that she could be so serious, yet so carefree all at once. 

A few minutes into their silent walk, and Byleth stopped to observe their surroundings. She took note of chewed saplings, and imprints along the forest floor, before changing direction. Dimitri followed, slowly as to minimize his sound. He liked to think he was learning quickly. 

Suddenly, Byleth dropped to a crouch, and Dimitri did the same, though all he saw around them were trees. She drew the bow at her back, and an arrow from her side. With the arrow, she pointed, and there Dimitri saw a large hare. It was oblivious to them both, eating away at a weed that grew up from the forest floor. She looked to him, and met his eyes, silently asking if he saw it. Dimitri nodded, and the arrow was handed off to him. 

It was his shot to take. He took the arrow from her, and tried to calm his pounding heart. The words she had spoken last ran through his mind.  _ Learn or starve. _ They would still be given a meal back at Garreg Mach if he failed, but he wanted to succeed. He wanted to impress his professor. Dimitri notched the arrow, and drew back the bow string. He breathed slow and deep, and let the arrow fly. 

A squeal rang out through the forest, scaring birds and other small creatures. Byleth stood, and walked towards the dying animal with her dagger drawn. She looked back to him, and motioned for him to follow. 

Like the arrow, she passed the dagger to him, and instructed him on how to finish off the hare. When he paused, uncertain of himself, she covered his hand with her own and showed him what to do. Between the two of them, the job was finished quickly. Dimitri felt an odd sense of pride. He’d never gone hunting like this before. Sure, there had been ritualistic hunts in his youth, but this was far more…  _ personal _ , with Byleth at his side. 

“Now we have dinner,” she said as they began the walk back to her warhorse. “Unless you wish to return to Garreg Mach.”

On one hand, Dimitri was certain Dedue and the others were wondering where he had gone. Yet on the other, he cared little for what others thought of him, if only he could remain with Byleth for a bit longer. Being with her, being outside of their relationship as student and teacher, was just as calming as the shade of the forest. 

So Dimitri shook his head. “I am in no hurry,” he told her. 

There was a ghost of a smile on her face, but only for a moment. “Very well. Let us make camp.”

They returned to the warhorse, and Dimitri once again rode along with her. She steered them through the woods to a small brook. There was a clearing near the rocky shoreline, and within it was a small camp. A lean-to had been made with old branches, and a deerskin sat below it. Ash from a previous fire sat in a circle of stones. It was hardly anything, but it was a place Byleth had made for herself. Once more Dimitri’s heart pounded in his chest. This place was special to her, and he felt honored to look upon it. 

Byleth dismounted, and instructed Dimitri to gather firewood while she cleaned the hare. “Next time, you can bring your own knife and I can teach you,” she told him.  _ Next time _ was all he focused on as he wandered the woods gathering sticks and pinecones. Two trips into the woods later, and they had a small pile of things to burn. The fire was started, and left to burn down to coals. 

Dimitri sat under the lean-to and watched his professor clean the meat of the hare. A gentle breeze rushed through the forest, and the wind carried the sound of gentle humming. Byleth’s voice was beautiful, though a bit off key. He closed his eyes, and focused on the foreign song. 

When he opened his eyes again, he found the campfire had been transformed into a makeshift stove. A pan sat atop a metal rack, and Byleth began to cook. There must have been herbs and other things within the saddlebags of her warhorse. Dimitri could smell carrot, onion, and garlic along with the hare meat. He closed his eyes once more and imagined, for just a moment, that he was not a prince, but just an ordinary person. He imagined this was the norm, and found comfort in it. For a few moments, there were no thoughts of war, or of revenge. 

Byleth boiled water alongside the food she cooked, and soon, the meal was ready. It was a far cry from what he was used to at Garreg Mach, but it was good. They ate in silence, sitting beside one another under the lean-to. As the sun began set, and when the meal was done, Byleth cleaned her cutlery in the brook. 

“We should return soon,” she said. “Before they send search parties looking for us.”

Dimitri didn’t know if she was attempting to make a joke, but he laughed anyway at the idea. He helped Byleth put out the fire, and soon the brook, and the camp, was long behind them. 

“I quite enjoyed that, professor,” Dimitri said, as the gates of Garreg Mach came into view. 

“See? I told you it would be fun.”

He found her definition of ‘fun’ to be a bit strange still, but he could not deny he enjoyed the experience. 

The heat wave continued, but after the day he had shared with Byleth, Dimitri found he didn’t mind it as much anymore. 

**Author's Note:**

> I would make a series for this, but I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with writing a piece every day of the month. I'd like to, though. 
> 
> And, if you're a twitter user, I've made an account focused on my writing and general FE3H things. Follow me if you'd like! twitter.com/lowbatlaptop


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